Ram temple donation embezzlement: SIT may submit interim report on July 20

Lucknow, Jul 17 (PTI) The SIT probing the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple may submit an interim report to the Supreme Court on July 20 in compliance with the apex court's directions, sources said on Friday. Sources said the Special Investigation Team may seek more time from the Uttar Pradesh government to finalise its investigation into the alleged financial irregularities related to donations received by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. The development comes days after the Supreme Court, while hearing petitions seeking a fair and time-bound probe into the alleged embezzlement of donations, directed the SIT to submit a status report on its investigation. The three-member SIT, comprising Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, Inspector General of Police Kiran S and Special Secretary (Finance) Neel Ratan, was constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government on June 13 at the request of the Trust. It was initially given 15 days to complete the probe, but its tenure was later extended by another 15 days. A preliminary nine-page report submitted by the SIT to the state government on June 23 triggered a series of actions, including the registration of an FIR, the arrest of eight accused, the recovery of cash allegedly siphoned off from temple donations and the resignation of former Trust general secretary Champat Rai and former trustee Anil Mishra. The final report is expected to recommend reforms in the temple's administration and donation-counting system, with the Trust scheduled to meet in Ayodhya on July 22 to discuss the findings and possible corrective measures. The Supreme Court is hearing petitions seeking a court-monitored CBI probe, a forensic audit and a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) audit of the trust's finances. The petitioners have also questioned the manner in which the SIT commenced its inquiry before the registration of an FIR and sought a time-bound investigation into the alleged embezzlement. Senior leaders of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) declined to comment on the development, saying they would respond after the SIT report is submitted to the Supreme Court. A close associate of Rai also said the former Trust general secretary would comment only after the SIT submitted its final report. According to the sources privy to the preliminary report submitted by SIT to the government on June 23, the CCTV footage available for the period between April 27 and June 5 showed about 70 instances of employees allegedly concealing bundles and loose currency notes in their clothes, pockets, shoes and other places during the counting process. They said the pattern, coupled with the statements of employees and deposits in bank accounts disproportionate to their known income, indicated that such thefts were likely taking place even before April 27, although the absence of older CCTV footage made it impossible to assess the full extent of the alleged embezzlement. The SIT also pointed to what it described as serious institutional and supervisory lapses that facilitated the alleged thefts. It said mandatory safeguards, including frisking of personnel, restrictions on carrying personal belongings into the counting room, separate counting of individual donation boxes, proper documentation and effective CCTV monitoring, were either not implemented or were diluted. The report further noted that internal audit observations highlighting deficiencies in the donation management system, including a recommendation to preserve CCTV footage for 180 days, were not acted upon. PTI MAN CDN KSS KSS